Electrolytic rust removal OT

[greg g]

There have been a couple of posts regarding setting up and electrolytic bath for immersing rusty stuff in and connecting up an annode and cathode deal with a battery charger. Most of the info I have seen says to use water and sodium carbonate or bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) that obviously works well. I have also heard of people soaking stuff in vinegar (acetic acid) without the electrical stimulation, and it works well albiet somewhat more liesurly. I have a tow hitch reciever I liberated which is quite rusty. I am wondering if there is a potential problem using the electrolytic process with the vinegar as the media rather than the water and soda solution. Before I trot off to the garage and dunk some steel into the vinegar and hook up the battery charger, does anyone think there will be a problem??? Also here is another a question 6 V or 12 V?????

[JerseyHarold]

I've derusted a number of items by soaking in vinegar with good results. The only time I had a problem was with a bicycyle chain. When I pulled it out it fell apart because the pins between the links shrunk a bit with the acid action.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Greg...only thing that comes to mind in using vinegar as a rust removing solution..do not ever soak cast iron in vinegar..it will soften cast iron...not good...

[Merle Coggins]

Don't know how the vinegar would work with the electricity. The electrolytic method uses the electron flow to remove or convert the rust. The solution is only to facilitate electron transfer. I have tried it with success on some items. I used a plastic 5 gallon bucket and mixed a solution of water and Washing Soda, not Baking Soda. Use about 1 tablespoon of Washing Soda per gallon of water. Also you need to hook up the battery charger the correct way. Get it wrong and your parts get eaten away. I don't think it really matters what the voltage is, but I used my charger on the 12v setting.

There's a good article on the Stovebolt web site about it. http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/electrolytic_derusting.htm

I also saw an article there about using vinegar. I don't think I'd mix the two methods though.

Merle

[Allan Faust]

Greg,

I wouldn't use the vinegar with the electricity.... the possibility of noxious fumes is quite a bit greater and more dangerous with an acid (even though it is weak), and the principle of electrolytic derusting is actually the transfer of electrons from your scrap metal to your part and the soda is just a current carrying solution...... if you want to do anything with your vinegar to help out.... heat it........ any acid or base solultion works better at higher temperatures.... a caustic or acidic solution at 180 F works wonders.... it "activates" the solution....

Allan

[greg g]

Yea, nothing like the smell of hot vinegar wafting in from the garage. Every now and again my wife runs a batch of vinegar through the coffee maker to cleanit out. Love that smell.

[Allan Faust]

And also, just to add on to this, vinegar, being an acid, once it gets rid of the rust, it will attack your metal (as in Jerseyharolds case), while the electrolytic method doesn't actually "attack" the rust.... more of a conversion process involved.... as merle put it though, hook up your battery in the right direction or your part will dissolve (and the metal will accumulate on your scrap, rather than vice versa). Voltage is not important... you just require a current to transfer the electrons and a solution capable of transferring current.... and don't let your parts touch each other either... (I think I may have fried one of my chargers because of this accidently.....something went poof with smoke coming out of the charger....)

Allan